Features of your vehicle
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4
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• This system can only sense objects
within the range and location of
the sensors; It can not detect
objects in other areas where sen-
sors are not installed. Also, small
or slim objects, such as poles or
objects located between sensors
may not be detected by the sen-
sors. Always visually check behind
the vehicle when backing up.
• Be sure to inform any drivers of the vehicle that may be unfamiliar
with the system regarding the sys-
tems capabilities and limitations.
Non-operational conditions of
parking distance warning
parking distance warning may
not operate when:
1. Moisture is frozen to the sensor. (It will operate normally when the ice
melts.)
2. Sensor is covered with foreign matter, such as snow or water, or
the sensor cover is blocked. (It will
operate normally when the materi-
al is removed or the sensor is no
longer blocked.)
3. Driving on uneven road surfaces such as unpaved roads, gravel,
bumps, or gradient.
4. Objects generating excessive noise such as vehicle horns, loud
motorcycle engines, or truck air
brakes can interfere with the sen-
sor.
5. The weather conditions produce heavy rain or water spray.
6. Wireless transmitters or mobile phones present near the sensor.
Detecting range may decrease
when:
1. Outside air temperature is extremely hot or cold.
2. The sensor is covered with foreign matter such as snow or water.
(The sensing range will return to
normal when removed.)
The following objects may not be
recognized by the sensor:
1. Sharp or slim objects such as ropes, chains or small poles.
2. Objects, which tend to absorb sen- sor frequency such as clothes,
spongy material or snow.
3. Undetectable objects smaller than 4 in. (1 m) and narrower than 5.5
in. (14 cm) in diameter.
527
Driving your vehicle
✽ ✽NOTICE
• Do not drive in water if the level is
higher than the bottom of the vehi-
cle.
• Check your brake condition once you are out of mud or water.
Depress the brake pedal several
times as you move slowly until you
feel normal braking return.
• Shorten your scheduled mainte- nance interval if you drive in off-
road conditions such as sand, mud
or water (see "Maintenance Under
Severe Usage Conditions" in chap-
ter 7).
• Make sure that AWD vehicle is towed by a flatbed tow truck.
For safe AWD operation
Before driving
Make sure all passengers are
wearing seat belts.
Sit upright and closer to the steer- ing wheel than usual. Adjust the
steering wheel to a position com-
fortable for you to drive.
Driving on snow-covered or icy roads
Start off slowly by applying the accelerator pedal gently.
Use snow tires or tire chains.
Keep sufficient distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front
of you.
Use engine braking during deceler- ation.
Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration, sudden brake applications, and
sharp turns to prevent skids. Driving in sand or mud
Maintain slow and constant speed.
Use tire chains driving in mud if
necessary.
Keep sufficient distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front
of you.
Reduce vehicle speed and always check the road condition.
Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration, sudden brake applications, and
sharp turns to prevent getting
stuck.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
When the vehicle is stuck in snow,
sand or mud, place a non-slip mate-
rial under the drive wheels to pro-
vide traction OR slowly spin the
wheels in forward and reverse direc-
tions which causes a rocking motion
that may free the vehicle. See the
Section "Rocking the Vehicle" for
more details. However, avoid run-
ning the engine continuously at high
rpm, which could damage the AWD
system.
Driving your vehicle
28
5
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• When using Snow Tires, mount
them on all four wheels.
• When using Tire Chains, install them on all four tires. However, if
you are in a situation to use only
two tire chains, install them on the
rear tires. In this case, do not drive
more than a short distance to pre-
vent damage to the AWD system.
• If tire chains must be used, use AutoSock (fabric snow chain) and
install the tire chain after review-
ing the instructions provided with
the tire chains.
❈ ❈ For more information on Snow
Tires and Tire Chains, refer to
"Winter Driving" in this chapter.
Driving up or down hills
Driving uphill
- Before starting off, check if it ispossible to drive uphill.
- Drive as straight as possible.
Driving downhill - Do not change gear while drivingdownhill. Select gear before driv-
ing downhill.
- Drive slowly using engine braking while driving downhill.
- Drive as straight as possible.Emergency precautions
Tires
When replacing the tires, be sure to
equip all four tires with the tire and
wheel of the same size, type, tread,
brand and load-carrying capacity.
In case of emergency such as tire
puncture, repair it using TMK (Tire
Mobility Kit) for temporary use.
Afterwards, have the tire be inspect-
ed by an authorized K900 Kia dealer.WARNING
Exercise extreme caution driv-
ing up or down steep hills. The
vehicle's tires could lose trac-
tion depending on the grade,
terrain and water/mud condi-
tions.
WARNING
Do not use tires and wheels of a
different size and type than the
ones originally installed on your
vehicle. It can affect the safety
and performance of your vehi-
cle, which could lead to
increased steering difficulty or
rollover causing serious injury.
543
Driving your vehicle
If you do not apply the brake pedal
when you release the Auto Hold by
pressing the [AUTO HOLD] switch, a
warning will sound and a message
will appear.When you press the [AUTO HOLD]
switch, if the driver's door and engine
hood are not closed or the driver's
seat belt is unfastened, a warning
will sound and a message will
appear on the LCD display. At this
moment, press the [AUTO HOLD]
button after closing the driver's door
and engine hood and fastening the
seat belt.
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
ABS (or ESC) will not prevent acci-
dents due to improper or dangerous
driving maneuvers. Even though
vehicle control is improved during
emergency braking, always maintain
a safe distance between you and
objects ahead. Vehicle speeds
should always be reduced during
extreme road conditions. The vehicle
should be driven at reduced speeds
in the following circumstances:
When driving on rough, gravel or
snow-covered roads
When driving with tire chains installed
When driving on roads where the road surface is pitted or has differ-
ent surface heights.
Driving in these conditions increases
the stopping distance for your vehicle.
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Driving your vehicle
152
5
Severe weather conditions in the
winter result in greater wear and
other problems. To minimize the
problems of winter driving, you
should follow these suggestions:Snowy or icy conditions
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it
may be necessary to use snow tires
or to install tire chains on your tires.
If snow tires are needed, it is neces-
sary to select tires equivalent in size
and type of the original equipment
tires. Failure to do so may adversely
affect the safety and handling of your
vehicle. Furthermore, speeding,
rapid acceleration, sudden brake
applications, and sharp turns are
potentially very hazardous practices.
During deceleration, use engine
braking to the fullest extent. Sudden
brake applications on snowy or icy
roads may cause skids to occur. You
need to keep sufficient distance
between the vehicle in operation in
front of your vehicle. Also, apply the
brake gently. It should be noted that
installing tire chains on the tire will
provide a greater driving force, but
will not prevent side skids.
Tire chains are not legal in all states.
Check state laws before fitting tire
chains.
Snow tires
If you mount snow tires on your vehi-
cle, make sure they are radial tires of
the same size and load range as the
original tires. Mount snow tires on all
four wheels to balance your vehicle’s
handling in all weather conditions.
Keep in mind that the traction provid-
ed by snow tires on dry roads may
not be as high as your vehicle's orig-
inal equipment tires. You should drive
cautiously even when the roads are
clear. Check with the tire dealer for
maximum speed recommendations.
Do not install studded tires without
first checking local, state and munic-ipal regulations for possible restric-tions against their use.
WINTER DRIVING
WARNING - Driving with
summer tires
Summer tires are equipped to
provide the best driving per-
formance on dry roads, varying
according to specification.
Do not use summer tires at tem-
peratures below 45°F (7°C) or
when driving on snow or ice. At
temperatures below 45°F (7°C),
summer tires can lose elastici-
ty, and therefore traction and
braking power as well. Change
the tires on your vehicle to win-
ter or all-weather tires of the
same size as the standard tires
of the vehicle. Both types of
tires are identified by the M+S
(Mud and Snow) marking. Using
summer tires at very cold tem-
peratures could cause cracks to
form, thereby damaging the
tires permanently.
WARNING - Snow tire size
Snow tires should be equivalent
in size and type to the vehicle's
standard tires. Otherwise, the
safety and handling of your vehi-
cle may be adversely affected.
5153
Driving your vehicle
Tire chains
Since the sidewalls on some radial
tires are thinner than other types of
tires, they may be damaged by
mounting certain types of tire chains
on them. Therefore, the use of snow
tires is recommended instead of tire
chains. Do not mount tire chains on
vehicles equipped with aluminum
wheels; if unavoidable, use AutoSock
(fabric snow chain). Install the tire
chain after reviewing the instructions
provided with the tire chains.
Damage to your vehicle caused by
improper tire chain use is not cov-
ered by your vehicle manufacturer’s
warranty.
✽ ✽NOTICE
• Install AutoSock (fabric snow
chain) on the rear tires for 2WD
vehicles or for AWD vehicles. It
should be noted that installing
AutoSock (fabric snow chain) on the
tires will provide a greater driving
force, but will not prevent side skids.
• Do not install studded tires with- out first checking local and munic-
ipal regulations for possible
restrictions against their use.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
If you hear noise caused by chains
contacting the body, retighten the
chain to prevent contact with the
vehicle body.
ORJ058047
CAUTION
When using AutoSock (fabric
snow chain):
Wrong size chains or improp- erly installed chains can dam-age your vehicle's brake lines,suspension, body and wheels.
To prevent body damage, retighten the chains after driv-ing 0.3 ~ 0.6 miles (0.5 ~ 1.0 km).
Driving your vehicle
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5
CAUTION- Snow chains
Chains that are the wrong size
or improperly installed candamage your vehicle's brakelines, suspension, body andwheels.
Stop driving and retighten the chains any time you hear themhitting the vehicle.
Chain installation
When installing AutoSock (fabric
snow chain), follow the manufactur-
er's instructions and mount them as
tightly as possible. Drive slowly (less
than 20 mph (30 km/h)) with chains
installed. If you hear the chains con-
tacting the body or chassis, stop and
tighten them. If they still make con-
tact, slow down until the noise stops.
Remove the AutoSock (fabric snow
chain) as soon as you begin driving
on cleared roads.
When mounting snow chains, park
the vehicle on level ground away
from traffic. Turn on the vehicle
Hazard Warning flashers and place a
triangular emergency warning device
behind the vehicle if available.
Always place the vehicle in P (Park),
apply the parking brake and turn off
the engine before installing snow
chains. The use of chains may adversely
affect vehicle handling.
Do not exceed 20 mph (30 km/h) or the chain manufacturer’s recom-
mended speed limit, whichever is
lower.
Drive carefully and avoid bumps, holes, sharp turns, and other road
hazards, which may cause the
vehicle to bounce.
Avoid sharp turns or locked-wheel braking.Use high quality ethylene gly-
col coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high
quality ethylene glycol coolant in the
cooling system. It is the only type of
coolant that should be used because
it helps prevent corrosion in the cool-
ing system, lubricates the water
pump and prevents freezing. Be sure
to replace or replenish your coolant
in accordance with the maintenance
schedule in chapter 7. Before winter,
have your coolant tested to assure
that its freezing point is sufficient for
the temperatures anticipated during
the winter.
Check battery and cables
Winter puts additional burdens on
the battery system. Visually inspect
the battery and cables as described
in chapter 7. The level of charge in
your battery can be checked by an
authorized K900 Kia dealer or a
service station.
Driving your vehicle
156
5
Don't let ice and snow accu-
mulate underneath
Under some conditions, snow and
ice can build up under the fenders
and interfere with the steering. When
driving in severe winter conditions
where this may happen, you should
periodically check underneath the
vehicle to be sure the movement of
the front wheels and the steering
components are not obstructed.
Carry emergency equipment
Depending on the severity of the
weather, you should carry appropri-
ate emergency equipment. Some of
the items you may want to carry
include tow straps or chains, flash-
light, emergency flares, sand, shov-
el, jumper cables, window scraper,
gloves, ground cloth, coveralls, blan-
ket, etc. We do not recommend using this
vehicle for trailer towing.
TRAILER TOWING